Entries tagged with: OmarRodriguez-Lopez

"At the Drive-In - which also includes singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala, guitarist Jim Ward, bassist Paul Hinojos and drummer Tony Hajjar - have scattered to other projects, leaving the future unknown. The Mars Volta, the post-ATDI post-punk/prog act led by Rodriguez-Lopez and Bixler-Zavala, is officially broken up, too, but the guitarist is already deep into Bosnian Rainbows, his band with singer Teri Gender Bender of Le Butcherettes. Next week, Bosnian Rainbows begin a European tour with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs (plus a few dates in Texas and California) and release a self-titled debut album on June 25th." [Rolling Stone]

That tour RS mentions was just expanded to include East Coast dates this summer and those new dates include July 14 at Bowery Ballroom (on sale Friday after a Wednesday AmEx presale), July 16 at Spaceland Ballroom in CT, and July 19 at Maxwell's in Hoboken (tickets). All dates and the new album tracklist are listed with two new songs you can listen to from the album, below...

Bosnian Rainbows, the group featuring onetime At the Drive-In/Mars Volta member Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Teri Gender Bender of Le Butcherettes, brought their current tour to NYC on Tuesday (2/19) for a show at Highline Ballroom with openers Marriages. Did you go to this show? If so, what did you think? While we're still waiting for Bosnian Rainbows to drop their new album this spring, you can check out single "Torn Maps," and more pics from Highline, below.

The Mars Volta, who have been on hiatus since the release of 2012's Noctourniquet, have officially called it quits, Prefix reports. Cedric Bixler-Zavala dropped the news via a series of tweets , including "Thank u 2 all VOLTA fans u deserved more especially after the way u rooted for us on this album. I tried my hardest to keep it going But Bosnian Rainbows was what we all got instead. I can't sit here and pretend any more. I no longer am a member of Mars Volta."

Cedric has a solo release on the way, and as discussed his former partner in crime, Omar Rodriguez Lopez is working with his band, Bosnian Rainbows, who will have their debut album out this year and are going on a tour in February which hits NYC for the previously mentioned Highline Ballroom show on February 19 with Marriages. Tickets for that show are still available. Since we last spoke, the band revealed a track from their album, "Torn Maps," which you can stream below.

Anywhere began as a LA/SF collaborative project started by musicians Christian Eric Beaulieu (Triclops!) and Cedric Bixler Zavala. In early 2010 while in Los Angeles to perform at an art opening of mutual friend artist Sonny Kay, [Beaulieu] befriended Cedric (singer of The Mars Volta) who was DJing the event. The two exchanged numbers and... months later the pair met in Los Angeles, enlisted the mobile engineering talent of Toshi Kasai (Big Business) and tracked an album's worth of material in 2 days at The Melvins practice space in downtown Los Angeles. During that same visit Christian played live on "The Watt from Pedro Show" as the musical guest of Mike Watt (of The Stooges, fIREHOSE, Minutemen). After the show, before leaving San Pedro, Christian realized they needed bass on the new material, and boldly asked Watt if he'd contribute. Watt agreed immediately, and a few months later delivered the entire projects bass tracks. Returning to San Francisco, Christian decided to reach out to vocalist Rachel Fannan, who had recently parted ways with Bay Area psych rockers Sleepy Sun and had relocated to Los Angeles.

Anywhere are welcoming a new single, their second, via Valley King Records, a limited-to-500 pressing of 7"s featuring artwork by Alan Forbes. Preorder your copy at Valley King.

One of Mike Watt's many other projects, Spielgusher, also has an album coming out this month, and he's keeping busy playing shows as usual too. As previously mentioned, Mike is performing Minutemen songs as a duo with George Hurley at an ATP in the UK in March. Before then he also plays with the Missingmen in LA in February, and he's taking part in a memorial for his friend Doug Rockett in Memphis this Friday (1/13).

Omar Rodriguez-Lopez of ATDI (and Mars Volta) will also do double duty at Coachella. He's also playing the festival as part of Les Butcherettes (like he did at Fun Fun Fun Fest). Check out an NPR Tiny Desk Concert of Le Butcherettes below alongside a Le Butcherettes LP stream.

Oh Land plays NYC for two nights this week as part of her tour with Sia. They play Webster Hall tonight (7/26) and tomorrow (7/27). Ximena Sarinana is on both NYC shows and a few other dates. Both shows are sold out.

Ximena, who is dating Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, is a Mexican singer/songwriter and actress. She toured as a vocalist with the Omar Rodriguez-Lopez Group on their 2009 European tour and contributed vocals to many of his solo albums. Her self titled sophomore album comes out next week (8/2) on Warner Music. Check out the official lyric video for the single "Different" below. She also plays tonight (7/26) at Rockwood Music Hall with drummer Alex Wong.

If you weren't able to get tickets in time, you'll be happy to know that Oh Land added a smaller headlining show on September 26 at Bowery Ballroom. Tickets go on sale Friday (7/29) at noon (AmEx presale Wednesday) for the NYC show.

"Holy shit cedric is at the show...
playing new mars volta music.... best day ever." - Jim Kettler

"Omar Rodriguez Lopez Group turned out to basically be Mars Volta. Cedric cut all his hair off. Still has the slick foot moves though." - Joey

Times Square: You're playing the Highline Ballroom on the 29th in NYC. What are your thoughts on the city and its music scene?

Omar Rodriguez Lopez: New York's cultural diversity speaks for itself. There's so much to check out. If you walk down the street you'll hear a different language or dialect on almost every city corner. The music obviously mirrors that diversity....

Times Square: Your music comes off as quite complex. In light of the fact that you aren't formally trained, how do you write music and then communicate it to your band?

Omar:Writing just happens. It ends up being intuitive. It's just documenting internal monologue. As far as communicating music to my band goes, I'll either give them recordings, show them their parts with my guitar, or just sing to them.... We'll practice a few times before a tour. Then I'll show them new material that we'll insert into the show the day of the concert. Fans often mistake the new material for improvisation because they don't recognize it.

Omar Rodriguez-Lopez has been inserting new material into his recent sets, but not just solo stuff. His other half in The Mars Volta, Cedric Bixler-Zavala, has been out on the road with the Omar Rodriguez-Lopez Group, and they've been performing new Mars Volta material, as you can partially see in a series of videos below.

The tour hits Highline Ballroom in NYC TONIGHT (3/29). Advanced tickets are now sold out, but the venue says "LIMITED TICKETS WILL BE AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR AT SHOWTIME."

Left-coast post-punks The Funeral Party recently dropped their danceable new debut, Golden Age of Knowhere, overseas - it gets a U.S. release on March 29th. The LP features "New York City Moves To The Sound of L.A.", "Finale", and "Just Because" all of which have been immortalized in videos that are viewable below.

The LA band is planning a trip across the pond in May, but have also signed on to play an early NYC show, one day after the record comes out, on March 30th at Mercury Lounge. Tickets go on AmEx presale Wednesday, 2/23, at noon, and go on regular sale on Friday.

The Mars Volta's Omar Rodriguez-Lopez contributes a guitar solo on "Car Wars" from The Funeral Party's new LP (which was engineered by Lars Stalfors who has also worked with the Mars Volta), and the axe-slinger/solo artist has upcoming shows with "Omar Rodriguez Lopez Group" including one NYC date at Highline Ballroom on March 29th with Zechs Marquise (who shares a member with Omar's band). Tickets are still available for the show that is one day before Funeral Party's at Mercury Lounge.

Omar Rodriguez-Lopez Group/Zechs Marquise will also hit SXSW as part of the Sargent House & Rodriguez Lopez Productions official showcase on March 19th at Emo's Annex with Adebisi Shank, Cast Spells, Fang Island, Gypsyblood, Le Butcherettes, Native, and Therapies Son. All Omar dates are below.

The always prolific artist (Omar) is also prepping another boutiful release, a quadruple LP/2CD. Telesterion culls material from "his 25 (and counting) solo albums" to provide a "fitting introduction" to his solo work and will be available on Record Store Day (4/16). Full details on that release are below along with all tour dates and some videos...

The new date for the Omar Rodriguez Lopez Group show at Highline Ballroom is September 17th. Tickets are on sale. The Mars Volta member's film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival last night. As you can see above, Omar was in attendance.

Squeeze & Cheap Trick play Radio City Music Hall in NYC on July 13th. Tickets just went on sale.

Alice Smith has scheduled a last-minute acoustic show at Highline Ballroom... tonight, Friday April 23rd. Tickets are on sale.

The May 3rd Chapterhouse and Ulrich Schnauss show at The Bell House sold out. Tickets are on sale for a 2nd show one day later with the same lineup.

Will there be a tour announced or is that still the only Omar show this year? (in September) I just want to know if I should go to NYC or wait for Chicago
I can't answer you yet. I'm trying to have more than one show in Sept and Chicago has been discussed but is not definite yet

Is it a good move on my part to buy a ticket for the Omar show right now knowing that it will be granted at the rescheduled event?
I would just wait until we announce the new date but it would be honored all tickets for May 2 show will be honored at new date at that Venue

Which members could not play at the may 2 show?
why does it matter, why do you guys always have to push for information that doesn't matter.

for the Omar solo show, if we could not make the new date, can we get a full refund. It's wasn't my fault I couldn't make it to a date I didn't pick.
I'm sure you will be able to make that choice

Festival packages are on sale now. For individual films, tickets go on AmEx presale starts today at 11am. Then there's a presale for "downtown" residents only (in person, with proof of zip code below Canal St) on Sunday, April 18th. Finally, tickets go on sale to the public Monday, April 19th at 11am. "Tickets for the Festival will be $16.00 for evening and weekend screenings and $8.00 for daytime weekday and late night screenings. TFF will also offer a selection of screenings that include in-depth panel discussions with filmmakers and talent for $25.00."

"El Grupo Nuevo De Omar Rodriguez Lopez (for the spanish-challenged, that's The New Group of ORL) is the melding of Omar Rodriguez Lopez (The Mars Volta, At the Drive-In), Zach Hill (Hella), Jonathan Hischke (ex-Hella), Juan Alderete de la Peña (The Mars Volta), and "features the vocals of guest frontman Cedric Bixler Zavala (The Mars Volta, At the Drive-In) on eight of the album's eleven tracks". OK, can it get any more spazzy? Sounds pretty wild, and judging by the tracks in the below video, it just may be." [BBG]

Omar Rodriguez Lopez Group (which apparently is NOT what is described above) plays Highline Ballroom in NYC on May 2nd (but supposedly still with Zach Hill - possibly just as opener). Tickets are on sale (at the newly redesigned Ticketweb).

"With an exciting new sound and significantly diverse collection of songs, Juliette Lewis is ready to unveil her new album, Terra Incognita via The End Records on September 9, 2009. Juliette has also announced a US summer tour with The Pretenders and Cat Power (dates to be announced shortly).

Fans can go to Juliette's MySpace to stream tracks from the upcoming album. Instrumental in creating the sound for this new record is the album's producer Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, leader of Mars Volta." [PR]

As previously posted, the incredible, but real bill of The Pretenders, Cat Power and Juliette Lewis is hitting Stone Pony's Summerstage in Jersey on August 9th. At the time there were just two dates announced - that one, and August 22 in Colorado. Now it's an entire tour which includes The Greek Theatre in LA, a show in CT, and one at NYC's Central Park Summerstage on August 10th. Stay tuned for ticket info. All dates below...